TDIMEH Chapter 04

  

4.Who on Earth is Coco?

“Co…?”

“No, that can't be right. It wouldn’t make sense for someone from Africa to be here, right? He seems a bit older than Coco's husband. Ah, no, forget it. I misspoke.”

Before even asking who Coco was, the boss had already asked and answered the question himself. He then announced he would bring out some drinks and headed into a room that appeared to be a break room.

Left alone, Junhyuk blinked a few times and slowly surveyed his surroundings.

The boss had mentioned earlier that he was alone in the office on the weekend because the staff were off. But from the looks of it, the office didn’t seem to have many employees in the first place.

It was a small space with just four desks in the main office, a separate boss’s office that also served as a guest reception room, and a small break room attached next to it.

Since it was a cruise travel agency, it seemed there were only staff handling reservations and accounting. The rest probably worked directly on-site where the yachts were docked.

Out of nowhere, Junhyuk found himself wondering what kind of work the employee who had run away did. But he didn't feel the need to ask.

Getting unnecessarily involved in something troublesome was the last thing he wanted.

“Junhyuk, isn’t this place just terrible? That employee earlier was strange too,” 

Moon Sohee remarked, her eyes filled with disdain as she glanced around the area that Junhyuk had just scanned.

She hesitated several times before finally perching on the edge of the worn-out sofa, clearly reluctant to sit down.

It looked like she was barely managing to suppress the urge to walk out of there immediately.

Having been used to receiving only the best treatment, this kind of environment must have been unbearable for her.

“I’m fine. The more I think about it, the funnier it gets.”

The man who had followed them, Jisang, let out a chuckle and shook his shoulders as if he still found the situation hilarious.

“I’ve met a lot of women in my life, but it’s my first time seeing someone pretend to be a foreigner. I’m really curious about her real face.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Jisang oppa? Are you interested in that kind of weird woman?” 

“It’s entertaining, isn’t it?”

Normally, Junhyuk would have let Jisang’s words slide. But for some reason, it got on his nerves this time.

So, in the end, he couldn’t help but say something.

“Just drop it.”

At that moment, the boss brought out cans of juice and placed them on the table along with some glass cups. While the cups seemed clean, no one seemed eager to use them, so they all drank straight from the cans.

“So, are you saying you want to sign a long-term contract with our Star Cruise?”

The boss’s eyes gleamed with ambition. He seemed like someone with a strong desire for money but not necessarily a bad person. The problem was that he was getting ahead of himself.

“Nothing is confirmed. We still need to look around and assess whether it’s suitable for a long-term voyage.”

After seeing the state of the office, they had little hope. It felt less like the quiet, elegant image of a yacht and more like a bustling, crowded cruise ship filled with tourists.

If that was the case, it didn’t match the image they were looking for. It seemed like it would be a hassle, but they figured they would have to look for another option after a quick tour of Manila Bay.

To prevent information from leaking out, even the chief secretary had been told it was just a golf trip. Since they’d left him behind, everything had to be investigated alone.

There was a sense that the plan to return on tomorrow night's flight might have to be extended.

“I may not know much about other things, but I can guarantee that the cruises we offer are top-notch. Once you see it for yourself, I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”

At least the boss seemed confident that the ships themselves were good.

“Instead of wasting time, how about we go check it out right now?”

Junhyuk placed his empty can down and stood up.

“About that…”

The boss, wearing an awkward smile, tried to stop him.

“Sorry, but today happens to be the one day of the month when all the employees have their Sunday off. We take turns every month to have a Sunday off, and unfortunately, today is that day. How about tomorrow instead?”

“You can just call them in, right? If the boss calls, they’ll come.”

Moon Sohee’s remark was sharp and direct. The boss lowered his head apologetically.

“If I do that, they might not show up at all starting tomorrow. This is just how it works here. It’s very different from how things are in Korea.”

Scratching his head, the boss explained that it was common in the local area for employees to be late for personal reasons, not show up at all, or suddenly quit without notice. Fortunately, he said, the current employees, whether office staff or field workers, were all quite diligent.

The point he was trying to make was that he didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.

“But that one employee was here earlier, even though it’s Sunday.”

“Well, that’s… a special case.”

A very… special case, indeed.

“In that case, let’s just head to the port and check the condition of the yacht. No need to go out to sea.”

“Wouldn’t that be a bit of a waste…?”

“Let’s go.”

With that firm response, Junhyuk got up from his seat. The boss hastily grabbed his car keys and followed him in a hurry. The boss's face was downcast, perhaps having sensed the outcome from the fact that they were leaving after barely ten minutes.

Just like on the way there, Junhyuk sat in the passenger seat.

The strong scent of skin lotion wafted from the boss as he started the car.

Earlier, it definitely smelled like flowers.

Was that scent not from an air freshener, but from that woman?

While he unconsciously recalled the scent, Jisang suddenly asked a question.

“Are you driving yourself? What about that employee from earlier? Isn’t she coming back?”

“She’s done for the day.”

The boss’s short reply was followed by an unsolicited explanation, as if he’d faced this kind of curiosity before.

“She’s an employee with a family, and today was a very special case. The driver who was supposed to do the pickup suddenly canceled.”

“What? So she’s married?”

Jisang’s disappointment was plain to see when the boss mentioned that the employee was married.

Junhyuk, too, felt a tinge of regret surge within him. But he quickly looked away, pretending it didn’t bother him.

As soon as they entered the single-lane road, traffic congestion appeared, with cars and motorcycles tangled up. Among the haze of dust, a small truck known as a 'jeepney' could be seen crammed with people sitting close together.

Even though they were packed together in the stifling weather, their faces looked bright.

Junhyuk’s eyes widened as he watched a red jeepney weaving through the traffic, driving over both the road and sidewalk. Among the more than ten people crammed into the small truck, he spotted a familiar face.

“Jin… Se-ah?”

The name escaped his lips before he could think.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Junhyuk told himself he had seen wrong.

There was no way Jin Se-ah would be in the middle of that crowd.

Not only was her face quite distinct, but her simple appearance was completely different from what he knew her to be.

Looking back on it, there was no way his ex-wife would ever ride in a truck like that, no matter what.

What kind of woman was she to be in something like that?

Still, for some reason, his eyes lingered on it.

But by the time he considered taking another look, the jeepney had already navigated through the narrow road and disappeared far ahead.

His thoughts about his ex-wife faded as quickly as the speed of the road ahead.

As the road widened and they neared the port, large resorts began to appear one by one. Among them was a hotel operated by the GK Group — still struggling to avoid deficits.

It wasn’t exactly infiltration, but since he’d come without notice to observe the raw environment of the hotel, he could already foresee some commotion later on.

The reservation had been made under Jisang’s name, so at least the room wouldn’t be an issue.

As Junhyuk organized the plan to tour the port and then head straight to the hotel, the sight of large and small yachts moored at the port gradually came into view.

Since they weren’t planning to sail anywhere, the boss parked the car carelessly on the side of the road and headed toward the place with the sign that read 'Star Cruise.'

“It’s pretty nice, right?”

The yacht's condition was better than expected. No, it was much better than expected — to the point of being almost shocking.

“Back in the day, I used to work in real estate auctions in Korea. Even after coming here, every time I got some extra cash, I would buy yachts that were up for auction. If I ran low on funds, I’d sell off a previous yacht to make up the difference. Of course, it’s not as good as buying new, but it’s enough to compete with the large cruise operators.”

He even showed off a few yachts that had been auctioned during the pandemic, claiming they were practically brand new. It wasn’t an exaggeration — they really looked no different from new.

“Running a big business here is just a way to get bled dry by the local authorities. I’m happy with things just the way they are.”

And yet, he had several yachts.

It was an impressive talent, being able to appear so ordinary despite having substantial assets.

As Junhyuk watched the boss grinning broadly with his teeth on display, he found himself wondering if living in this place for too long would make anyone turn out like that.

The inspection wasn’t bad, and Junhyuk concluded that he should come back tomorrow for a proper boarding experience. There was supposed to be a dinner event on one of the larger cruises tomorrow.

Their group was about to head straight back to the hotel when the boss insisted they stop by a famous local restaurant nearby, so they agreed to tag along.

But then.

“[Isn’t that Coco’s husband?]”

Hearing that name again from a server walking by left Junhyuk puzzled.

Why was he hearing the same name the boss had mentioned earlier?

Who on earth is Coco?

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